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porticultoal Leaver 



-A-ZTsTID 

SMALL FRUIT. 



■■■ 



DEDICATION. 

Believing that the cultivation ■ 
will not reach its highest excellence until the 
women of our country study and practice horti- 
culture, and recognizing the fact, that one \ 
lady at least fulfills the requisite qualificn 
for this work, 

To Mia 

An expert in grafting and budding fruit-ti 
The* rds arc inscribed 

By the ' 



COPYRIGHT 1887, BY FRANCIS B. ABBOTT. 



-^— *-\SM==~^ — »- 



HAND BOOK 



OF 



MALL FRUIT 



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PUBLISHED BY/' 



I 



FRANCIS B. ABBOTT, 

CHICAGO, ILL. 



7 1889 * 



PREFACE. 



In cultivating small fruits for several years, 
I have become aware of the fact that very few 
people know how to prepare the soil with fer- 
tilizers, propagate and cultivate with the skill 
necessary to make it a complete success. I have 
endeavored to state in as few words as possible, 
just what to do, leaving out all unnecessary 
talk about the matter, which would only con- 
fuse the amateur horticulturist. I firmly be- 
lieve that horticulture will not be successful 
in a high degree, until the women take a lead- 
ing part in this great branch of farm and garden 
culture. As a general rule, men are engaged 
in other pursuits and business cares, and do not 
have the time to spare. I believe the time is 
near when a change will be made, and the com- 
munity become awake to the importance of the 
foregoing statements. 

The Author. 



V 



A lady at Austin, 111., said to me as I was un- 
loading trees and small fruits: 

"If I knew how to manage these fruit trees and 
grape-vines, I could supply our table with all the 
small fruit we want." I replied that I should soon 
publish what I shall call, "Abbott's Horticultural 
Leaves," which would supply a long,- felt want. I 
meet with many ladies of refinement, who delight to 
work amid the small fruits and flowers of the gar- 
den. In the Great West, and in fact, there are thou- 
sands all over our great land who feel the same 
interest in this subject as this Austin lady. I shall 
offer the Leaves to the public at a moderate price, 
when we consider their value to those unlearned in 
the cultivation of small fruits. Hoping that these 
lines will meet with approbation from the public, 
I will further say that any man who supplies or 
aids his neighbors in procuring a plenty of small 
fruits, confers a great blessing upon the community. 

How to Cultivate Fruit Trees. 

CONTENTS 

Management of fruit trees after being taken from 
the Nursery. 

A table showing the number of trees required to 
plant an acre, from 1 to 50 feet apart. 

Distances at which trees should be planted. 

How to make a Barren Fruit Tree bear. 

Cuts of Fruit. 






Mow U (juititate Currants, 

CONTENTS. 

How to transplant. 

How to propagate from slips. 

How to prepare the soil for the slips. 

How to put roots on the slips the same year that 
they grow. 

H~w to raise Currant trees; a single stalk; suck- 
ers never grow from the roots, nor limbs on the 
trunk of the tree, any lower than you choose to have 
them. 

How and when to trim currant bushes. 

Currant Enemies and how to destroy them. 

How to make Spiced Currants. 

How to make Currant Preserve. (A new way). 

Cuts of Fruit. 



How to Cultivate Gooseberries. 

CONTENTS. 

How to transplant. 

How to propagate from slips. 

How to prepare the soil for slips. 

How to put roots on the slips. 

How to raise Gooseberry trees which never grow 
suckers from the roots. 

How to prevent Mildew upon Gooseberries. 
(This item alone is worth more than you pay for the 
Gooseberry Leaf.) 

Cut of Large English Gooseberries. 



How to Cultivate Grapes* 

CONTENTS. 

How to transplant. 

What place is most favorable for raising Grapes. 

What season is best for planting Grapes. 

What season to prune Grapes. 

How to prune Grape-vines. 

How to trellis Grape-vines. 

How to prevent Mildew. 

What enemies have Grapes. 

How to destroy them. 

Cuts of Fruit of the different kinds of Grapes. 

How to Cultivate Raspberries. 

CONTENTS. 

Preparation of the soil and fertilizers. 

Plants and planting. 

Propagation 

Culture of the Fruit. 

What varieties to plant. 

Cuts of Fruits and Plants. 

How to Cultivate Strawberries. 

CONTENTS. 

Soil and Situation. 
Preparation of the soil. 
Where to get Plants. 
What kinds to plant. 
How to plant. 
Mode of culture 
Cuts of Fruits. 



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lorticultal Leaver 



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MANAGEMENT OF FRUIT TREES AFTER TAKEN FROM 
THE NURSERY. 

The roots of trees should be kept moist during 
transportation; then cover with moist earth, until 
set in orchard. Plow the ground deep; then plow a 
deep, wide furrow where each row is to stand; 
throw out the earth until you have a hole suffi- 
ciently large to receive the roots as the3 r naturally 
grew in a row. Wet the roots, and then use the 
hand in putting in fine earth around them. Be 
caeful to place all fibrous roots in their natural 
position; fill up, pressing down with the foot; then 
mulch with coarse manure. On prairie or level 
ground, plow the furrows toward the trees until you 
get a ditch eighteen inches deep between the rows. 
Cultivate the ground well until the middle of July. 
Cultivation after that time produces too late a 
growth, leaving the trees in unripe condition at the 
setting in of winter. 

Autumn is strongly urged as the best time to 
get trees, which, if properly laid in, are even safer 
than if left standing. To winter trees perfectly, 
dig a ditch in dry soil, eighteen inches deep, with 
the earth banked up on the sloping side, against 
which the trees are to be laid; then sift fine earth 
among the roots, watering if soil and root be dry. 
Cover the tops with a few inches of earth outside, 
to exclude mice and rabbits. 

CHERRIES. 

Early Richmond. — An old European sort. The 
most valuable for the West and Northwest. It 
begins to color about the 20th of May, and may 
then be used for tarts, while it will continue to 
grow in size and color, losing its acidity; will 



remain oi* the tree in dry seasons until July. Free, 
hardy and productive, and by far the best for the 
West and Northwest. 

Table showing the number of trees required to 
plant an acre, from 1 to 50 feet apart. 



FEET. 
1 


TREES. 

...43,560 
...10,890 
... 4,840 
... 2,722 
... 1.742 
... 1,210 
... 889 
... 680 
... 537 


FEET. 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 


TREES. 

222 

.."."....193 

170 

150 

130 

120 

108 

98 

90 

82 

75 

69 


FEET. 

26 

27.... 


TREES. 

64 

59 


FEET. 

38 


TREES. 
30 


9 


39 

40 

41 

42 

43 


... .28 


3 .... 
4 

a 

6 


28 

29 

30 

31 

32 

33 

34 

35 

36 


55 

51 

48 

45 

43 

40 

37 

36 

32 


27 

26 

24 

23 


7 


44 


22 


8 

9 


45 

46 

47 


21 

20 


10 


... 835 
... 360 
... 302 
... 257 


19 


11 


48 


18 


12 

13 


37 


31 


49 

50 


18 

17 











DISTANCES AT WHICH TREES SHOULD BE PLANTED. 



Standard Apples, - 
Pears and Cherries, - 
Peaches and Plums, 
Dwarf Pears, 
Dwarf Cherries, 
Dwarf Apples, - 
Currants, Raspberries, - 
Black Currants, 
Red Currants, 
Raspberries and Blackberries, 

Garden Culture, 

Field Culture, 
Strawberries, garden culture, 
Strawberries, field culture, 



18 to 33 feet. 

18 to 20 " 

15 to 20 " 

10 to 12 " 

10 to 12 " 

8 to 15 " 

4 to 5 " 

6 feet 

3 " 



3x # 4 



1 x2 
1 x3 




To Make a Barren Fruit Tree Bear. 

Trench in a half circle as shown by the cut, rep- 
resenting a tree with a semicircular trench; sever 
all of the large roots, leaving the small fine ones; 
dig the trench wide enough to make it convenient 
to reach under and cut the downward roots. First 
dig the trench around, then commence two feet be- 
low the surface of the ground; dig under, cutting 
off those running below. I fill up this trench with 
two-thirds soil and one-third manure. I utilize the 
space to put in currant, gooseberry and other cut- 
tings. Repeat this operation with the other half of 
the tree three years later. For a tree eight or ten 
years old, trench two and a half feet from the trunk. 
For a tree twelve to fifteen years, make the trench 
four feet distant. Four years from the first root- 
pruning, extend the circle two feet further away 
and trench again. This operation will cause an 
unproductive tree to bear profusely. This experi- 
ment has been tried on the apple and pear with 
great success. The best time to do this work is the 
last of August and the first of September, when 
growth has nearly ceased, and the leaves are upon 
the trees, and the bloom buds are forming for the 
following year. 



ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENT. 

I have a pear tree, at thirteen years of age it had 
borne me no pears; I said to a friend, "What is the 
reason that my pear tree yields no fruit? " His reply 
was: "It needs iron; " being a machinist I brought 
out of the machine shop some iron turnings, and 
with a hoe mixed them thoroughly with the soil 
around the tree. The next year I had pears. A 
lady friend of our family had a cousin, a lady, who 
was the owner of a barren pear tree; she felt very 
indignant because it yielded no fruit. She took a 
hammer and nails, and with great energy let the 
pear tree know that she was not to be trifled with 
in that manner. The pear tree took the hint from 
the severe treatment it received at her hands, for 
she drove the nails into it without mercy.. It be- 
haved splendidly after that, and gave an abundant 
yield of fruit. A gentleman of my acquaintance 
tried the same experiment on a cherry tree with the 
same success. 



My customers often ask, What kind of apples 
shall I buy ? I will mention a few: 

Summer. — Red Astrachan, Duchess of Oldenburg, 
Early Harvest. 

Fall.— Snow, 'Maiden Blush, Talman Sweet. 

Winter. — Ben Davis, Rawles' Janet, Mann, 
Willow Twig. 




Transcendant Crab Apples 






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aTT^^^isTTS- 





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GHIGAGO, ILL. 



How to Cultivate Currants. 

HOW TO TRANSPLANT. 

Throw out the earth until you have a hole suffi- 
ciently large to receive the roots as they naturally 
grew; see that you have some good soil at the bot- 
.; torn of the hole; place your bush in position, sift on 
, good fine soil with your coal sieve if you have no 
other; see that the fine dirt is paoked thoroughly 
among the roots; turn in a pail of water, so as to 
bed the soil perfectly around the roots; throw in 
more soil, and near the top of the ground mix 
manure with the soil, and press down the earth 
around the bush. 

HOW TO PROPAGATE FROM SLIPS. 

Cut the slips into eight-inch pieces, leave one bud 
■ out of the ground, sprinkle a little light manure 
: over them to protect them through the winter. 

TO PREPARE THE SOIL FOR THE SLIPS. 

I dig a trench two and a half or three feet wide, 
and fifteen to eighteen inches deep, throw out the 
. soil, then put in a layer of manure (good cow's 
manure if you can get it), then a layer of soil, alter- 
nate layers of each, and fill up the trench; then fork 
it over two or three times, to thoroughly mix them 
together. Take Abbott's Slip Transplanter, and put 
them in all of the same depth ;#the Slip Transplanter 
is much larger than the slip, so that it will drop in 
very freely; throw common mortar-sand or very fine 
soil upon the bed; then with a watering-pot with the 
sprinkler off, holding it about four feet from the 
ground, pour the water and wash the sand into the 
holes around the slips, and fill them solid. 



TO PUT ROOTS ON THE SLIPS THE SAME YEAR THAT 
THEY GROW. 

I take a piece of tin or sheet-iron, bend it up like 
a tube, put it around the main stalks of the bush, 
leaving a half-inch space between the old branches 
and the tin tube to let the air circulate and prevent 
roots from growing out of the said branches, then 
bank up six inches or more, and in the late fall cut 
off the slips with good roots upon them. 

ANOTHER METHOD. 

Cut off the slips about the middle of August, strip 
the leaves, cut off the large end square with a very 
sharp knife, so as to not injure the bark. Then use 
the Slip Transplanter as before, and the sap will go 
down and heal over the end, and the fine roots wi 
grow out of the part under ground. 

How to Raise Currant Trees. 

Take the largest and most vigorous slips about 
two feet long, cut out the buds with the point of i 
knife or a V tool; plant it eight inches deep in th 
soil; cut out all of the buds as high above ground a 
you wish your limbs to appear on the trunk, say 
fifteen inches from the large end of the slip. They 
will never grow suckers or branches where the buds 
were removed. 

I have two black Naples currant trees with their 
trunks two and a halt inches in diameter, and their 
tops spread out five feet. I have red Dutch currant 
trees, fourteen inches from the ground to the lower 
branches; they are near the cherry currant patch, 
and my family, not knowing about them, took the 
fruit to show a customer a sample of cherry cur- 
rants. They were very large indeed for red Dutch 
currants. 




RED DUTCH CURRANTS. 

PhotcarapUd by John Ahem, 175 Mil. Av., Chicago. 



HOW TO TRIM. 

I first seek out the oldest branches. You can 
readily see if they show signs of decay, or have 
limbs broken or dead. Cut them close to the ground. 
You will often find them hollow, a worm having 
gone through the center of it. Take all limbs that 
lie horizontal near the ground; leave ten limbs in a 
bush that shows great thrift, but only seven other- 
wise ; cut out of the center of the bush so that the 
sun can shine through; then you will raise fruit, 
not wood. 



WHEN TO TRIM CURRANT BUSHES. 

I prefer the last of August or the 1st of Septem- 
ber, when the leaves are on the branches, and the 
slip full of sap; the wood mature; there is enough 
sap in the slip to heal over the lower end and be 
ready to throw out a multitude of fine roots all 
around the slip. Many people suppose the roots 
come from the buds, but these will notice that the 
suckers spring from the buds only, and the slip has 
a large number of fine roots all around. 

I have taken off slips in August and any time in 
fall or winter, or early in spring, before the buds 
start to grow. 

In the fall put a scoop-shovelful of manure 
around each bush; also give them a liberal top- 
dressing of manure; spade it in so as not to disturb 
the roots. A pick with rounded edges is the best 
to work with in loosening the ground near the roots; 
it will not cut them. 




Black Napfes Currant Tree. 



CURRANT ENEMIES AND HOW TO DESTROY THEM. 

The currant has three enemies, which in some local- 
ities are very destructive. One of them, called the 
currant worm, is about an inch long, and yellow in 
color, dotted with black spots; another is known as 
the currant borer; he gets inside of the stalk; often 
starts near the ground, and makes the stalk hollow 
nearly the entire length; sometimes he gets inside 
a new and tender branch, near the top of a bush. 
Remedy.— Make a strong soap-suds, using whale- 
oil soap; put into it about two teaspoonsful of 
crude carbolic acid. It is the better way to cut the 
stalk away and burn it. One more enemy claims 
our attention — the little green lice; give them a 
shower of whale-oil soap-suds and carbo^c acid 
with a syringe. It kills every time. 



Spiced Currants. Take four quarts of currants de- 
prived of the stems, one pint of vinegar, two 
pounds of crushed sugar, one teaspoonful each of 
allspice, cloves, and cinnamon powdered fine; boil 
all together until about the consistency of jelly; 
then remove from the fire and put away in closely 
covered jars for use. 

BLACK NAPLES CURRANT. 

A very few people know the value of this currant 
or its medicinal qualities. One of my customers who 
has a large number of children ordered a bushel, 
because they were excellent for dysentery. They 
cure sore throat and nursing sore mouth. They sell 
readily for $4.00 per bushel, when the red sell for 
$2.00. Black currant jam, a tablespoonful in a 
goblet filled with water, makes, one of the very best 
drinks in warm seasons; it is an excellent beverage 
for the sick room. 




LEE'S PROLIFIC BLACK CURRANT. 

The best black sort in cultivation. Berries very large, 
best duality ; a vigorous grower and immensely productive. 
The plants and fruit are entirely exempt from attacks of the 
Currant Worm or any other insect. The fruit will hang on 
the bushes a long time. "We have grown to like our Black 
Currants very much. Stewed (when ripe) and sweetened; 
stewed after being dried in sugar, made into preserves or jelly 
or canned, they are delicious. No other fruit has that pe- 
culiar delicacy of flavor." 



How to Pick Black Currants Rapidly. 



Persons having a large quantity of black cur- 
rants to harvest, know how tedious it is to pick 
them; the stems are so very short that it does 
not pay to take them from the bush. In years 
past 1 could make more money growing red 
Dutch currants as $2 a bushel than the black 
Naples at $4. This present year, 1887, 1 have 
tried a plan which is a success! Make a frame 
two feet wide and three feet long of strips of 
board, let the strip be two inches wide and one 
inch thick; get some canvass or Burlap, will cost 
about 8 cents a yard, tack it on one side. Place 
two frames opposite each other close to the bush 
with canvass side down; let the the fingers work 
lively, making every currant fall on the canvass 
below, empty in a box or basket. A large number 
of leaves will fall with the currants. To separate 
the leaves, take a sieve with the mesh a half inch, 
which will let the currants fall through and re- 
tain the leaves; the sieve should be concave, the 
currants will find their way out of the sieve more 
speedily. 



How to Trellis Currant and Goose- 
berry Bushes, Raspberry and 
Blackberry Canes. 



Black currants if planted six feet apart, will 
covei the whole space of ground around them ; 
the foliage is too heavy if they are not trimmed 
and cut back freely. The advantage of a trellis 
for the above bushes and canes is five fold. It 
gives ample space to walk among the bushes, 
lets sunlight to every part of the bush at once, 
ripens the fruit more evenly, the lower fruit at 
the same time with that higher up; it holds the 
bush steady to pick the fruit; it brings every 
limb within easy reach of the pickers, with no 
other limb in the way while picking the fruit. 
Take two plaster laths, bore a quarter inch hole 
one and a half inch from each end; then bore 
holes tour inches apart the entire length of the 
lath; pieces of lath from fifteen to twenty-four 
inches in length for raspberries and blackberries 
because of less number of strands than currants 
and gooseberries; then take wire, such as is used 
in baling hay, bend it double in the form of a 
letter T, bring the limbs into line by putting a 
lath each side, put the wire through the holes 
and press the laths together so as not to clamp 
too tight on the limbs; then bend back the two 
ends of the wires. 






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6HIGAG0, ILL. 



How to Cultivate Gooseberries. 

In England and Scotland they raise a much larger 
gooseberry than we can. The climate and the salt 
atmosphere are very favorable to that fruit. I never 
have mildew on my fruit. I met with a gentleman 
from Dupage County. 111., who informed me how 
to prevent mildew on gooseberries. He says: Do 
not put on brine, as I did, and kill them. He was 
the first to introduce them into that county from 
Scotland. The gooseberry can be pruned to a sin- 
gle stem with more safety than the currant, as the 
borer does not trouble them. The wood does not 
ripen as early as the currant. For that reason I pre- 
fer to bank up the bush in the manner described in 
the article, "To put Roots on the Slips Before They 
are Cut from the Bush." In the bush form, as the 
wood becomes old, cut it out, and let only three or 
four stems remain. You will then have a large root 
to a small top. As they grow in size, thin out, so 
that sunlight and air can pass freely through the 
bush. In banking up around the bush I find the 
root3 grow upon the old wood much more rapidly 
than upon the new wood. If the gooseberry is 
infested with the currant worm, make a soap suds 
with whale-oil soap, and put in crude carbolic acid, 
two teaspoonfuls to tne quart of water; it is sure to 
kill. Be sure and mulch with coarse manure and any 
vegetable matter. It pays well to give them good 
attention in the way of cultivating the soil around 
them. I raise the large English and Houghton 
Seedling varieties j both are very prolific. 

I have raised the large English one and one-fourth 
inches long and fifteen-sixteenths of an inch in 
diameter. The cut here is about the average size 
of the berries when well cared for, supposed to be 
one and one-eighth inches long and seven-eigliths 
in diameter. 



irm->Tn-«WTr vm rin-r r«rr m r iTi— ii- 



HOW TO TRANSPLANT. 

Throw out the earth until you have a hole suffi- 
ciently large to receive the roots as they naturally 
grow in a row. Wet the roots, place the plant in 
the right position; be careful to place all fibrous 
roots in their natural position. Then with your ! 
coal-sifter or some other coarse sieve put the fine 
earth around them, pour in some water, put in more 
good soil mixed with good stable manure, and 
press down the soil with the feet. 

HOW TO PROPAGATE FROM SLIPS. 

Cut off slips of the past year's growth in Sep- 
tember or October; dig a trench two and a half or 
three feet wide, and fifteen to eighteen inches deep 
place alternate layers of manure and soil; then fork 
it over thoroughly, mixing it together; then with 
the Abbott Slip Transplanter put them in ii-om six 
to eight inches deep; spread common mortar-sand 
upon the bed; take a watering pot with the sprink- 
ler off, pour the water from the pot held about four 
or five feet from the ground to wash the sand solid 
around the stem. 

HOW TO PUT ROOTS ON THE SLIPS BEFORE THEY 
ARE CUT FROM THE MAIN BUSH. 

Bend up a tube of tin or sheet iron so as to leave 
a half -inch space around the main stems; then bank 
up in six or eight inches, and in the late fall cut 
them off from the main bush. 

The propagation of the gooseberry is about the 
same as the currant— deep cultivation of the soil, 
well fertilized, and strict and careful pruning. The 
gooseberry bush soon attains a large size, and the 
secret of raising large berries lies in the fact of 



pruning down to one stem. If you are a nursery- 
man and want to propagate, you will want the suck- 
ers to grow; but if, on the other hand, you want to 
raise large fruit, observe the item entitled " How to 
Raise Gooseberry Trees." 

If you do not wish to propagate, cut out all of 
the suckers that start in the spring. As the slips 
do not take root as readily as the currant, I think 
that layering is preferable if one is in any haste to 
get the slips rooted. 

Varieties: Large English, Houghton Seedling, 
Downing, and Smith's Improved., 

HOW TO RAISE GOOSEBERRY TREES. 

Take the largest slips; cut out all the buds six- 
teen inches from the large end; plant them about 
six or eight inches deep in the ground. They will 
grow a tree with a single stock, and never sprout up 
from the roots. 



HOW TO PREVENT MILDEW ON GOOSEBERRIES. 

Make a very strong brine with salt and water; 
pull some grass and give a thorough soaking in the 
brine; then lay it out and dry it; when the berries 
appear dig around the bush; then spread the grass 
under the bush, and when the moisture evaporates 
it passes up through the salt grass, makes a salt air 
the same as in its native home in England, Scotland 
and Germany. This has been found to prevent 
mildew in the West. 










porticultol Leaved 



C3-^2^^^E1S. 





t ^ s *'^ lr£ ^ 



CHICAGO, ILL. 



How to Cultivate Grapes. 

When we take into consideration the bountiful 
return that the grape bestows for the labor and 
care used in its cultivation, it is surprising that peo- 
ple neglect this important branch of horticulture, 
they will get cherry, apple and pear trees, currant, 
gooseberry, raspberry bushes, and almost, if not 
wholly, neglect the cultivation of the grape, which 
yields such large and beautiful clusters of fruit. 
These trees and bushes take up a large space, while 
the grape takes comparatively little. A person 
having an extra lot connected with his homestead 
can raise several bushels of delicious fruit, and 
trellis upon the fence around the lot, behind a row 
of currants or other fruit bushes. The only word I 
can use to explain this matter is ignorance; the 
want of knowing how to manage, prune and care 
for the vine. Do not people love grapes ? Are 
they not sold by thousands of boxes and baskets on 
South Water Street, and the peddler stands at our 
street corners, and beside the store fronts and curb- 
stones of all our great thoroughfares ? There 
would be much less sickness in the family if all of 
its members, parents and children, would partake 
more freely of this health-giving fruit. 



WHAT PLACE IS MOST FAVORABLE FOR RAISING 
GRAPES? 

A southwestern slope is considered the best, all 
things considered. In the time when frosts appear 
the ground is more warm and less liable to be affect- j 
ed by the frost. Hardy grapes will grow in almost 
any locality. 



HOW TO TRANSPLANT. 

Dig a trench two feet deep, fill it a third full of 
heads and bones of cattle or other animals, sift in 
among the bones rich, fine soil, plant the vine up t 
against a brick building; if a frame, make a trellis 
off from the side of the building so as not to injure 
the wood-work. Train up the vines, put some well 
rotted cow manure in with the soil near the surface. 
The roots will run in through the bones. The 
vines will bear bountifully for several years. Fer- 
tilize with good, well-rotted stable manure. 



WHAT SEASON TO PLANT GRAPES. 

The plants should be set in the fall or very early 
in spring, before the buds start, as there is danger 
of breaking off the buds. 



WHAT SEASON TO PRUNE GRAPES. 

The autumn, as soon as the leaves arjg off; or it 
may be done in winter or very early in the spring, 
or when the sprouts are about three inches long in 
summer. 

HOW TO PRUNE GRAPE-VINES. 

If you wish a good crop of fruit the next year, 
'cut back all of the last year's or new growth, leav- 
ing three buds. In summer, when the sprouts are 
about three inches long, take off all that do not 
show blossoms or signs of fruit. In August cut off 
the tops of the stock canes eight feet high ; that 
will cause the grape to ripen early. 



HOW TO TRELLIS GRAPE-VINES. 

I have spoken of one plan. Some people set 
cedar posts, stretch wires from one to another. The 
vines stand once in six feet, or six feet apart. A great 
.bristly head shows itself on the vine about three 
feet from the ground, and tied up to the wire. 
The new wood is cut back to this point every year. 
Another way is to set cedar posts six feet apart, 
and coil the vine around the post, which is seven 
feet high. 

ANOTHER PLAN FOR A TRELLIS. 

Have a trellis with three or more uprights, about 
eight feet high, and four lateral bars, the upper to 
be eight feet from the ground, the lower eighteen 
inches high; divide the remaining space between 
the middle bars equally. Let the vine have two 
branches; train one to the right and one to the left 
on the lower bar; train uprights as shown by the 
cut of the Prentiss grape. The branch here repre- 
sented is the left-hand branch. You will see that 
all the branches trained up perpendicular have been 
cut back to three buds, and consequently three 
clusters of grapes from each stem; when these 
branches get strong cut back all of the upright 
branches to three buds. I have practiced for sev- 
eral years a method of starting a new vine. 
I dig a trench a foot wide and sixteen inches 
deep, six feet long, lay down a branch in this 
trench; let it be attached to the parent vine.. 
In this way you will secure great root power. In 
starting to plant a new vineyard, plant the rows 
eight feet apart, and when the vines are three years 
old dig the trench four feet to the center between 
the rows; if you have a long vine, lay it also in this 
trench, and return it to the same point on the old 



vine that you started from. In this way you secure 
very great root power. Grapes sometimes fall from, 
the vine. The cause of this is a want of sufficient 
nourishment; there is not sap enough to support the 
grape while ripening. They need more length of 
roots or more root power. 

THE SINGLE POLE OR STAKE SYSTEM 

I have practiced for several years. I coil two or 
three branches of the vine. Some people call it 
spurring down. I make the coils two feet in diame- 
ter, and from buds near the stake leave three or 
four buds to grow the canes for bearing fruit 
another year, and tie them to the pole as they 
increase in length. Vines coiled in this way ripen 
their fruit much sooner than those on a high trellis. 
Let the coil be fifteen inches from the ground. 

HOW TO PREVENT MILDEW. 

With a bellows blow powdered sulphur on when 
wet. 

WHAT ENEMIES HAVE GRAPES? 

Worms and lice. Remedy: Take whale oil soap- 
suds and crude carbolic acid, two teaspoonfuls to 
a quart of water. 







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(lorticultoal Leaves 





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CHICAGO, ILL. 






How to Cultivate Raspberries. 

The red raspberry is a native of a northern 
climate. In the month of May, 1864, I went to 
Lake Superior and was employed as Chief Engineer 
for the Isle Royale Mjning Company. I found the 
red raspberry growing in great abundance from 
Marquette to Ontonagon. After being employed 
by the Mining Company one year, I afterward trav- 
eled over that whole region as traveling agent for 
the sale of machinery for the Crane Bros. Com- 
pany. I found the red raspberry everywhere as the 
principal fruit. It will be a long time before I for- 
get how I enjoyed raspberries and cream. Mr. 
Church, a merchant of Sault River, put up twenty 
tons of raspberry jam in one year. The Indians 
picked the berries. He bought his sugar at wholesale 
in New York or Boston. He found a ready sale for 
it among the tourists who visit that region in sum- 
mer. 

PREPARATION OP THE SOIL AND FERTILIZERS. 

A rich, moist loam is well adapted to the rasp- 
berry. My soil is a stiff, cold clay, but I get abund- 
ant crops of both red and black varieties. See that 
you have good drainage. Prepare the soil as 
for corn. Rake up all the leaves you can find in 
the fall; mix barn -yard manure, leaves, and add a 
layer of good soil or clay for a compost heap. Do 
not waste a table-spoonful of soap-suds; turn it all 
upon the compost heap. Throw upon it any vege- 
table matter; always cover with a little soil. Shovel 
over the heap occasionally to let the frosts of winter 
have a good hold upon it. This compost is good 
for almost everything raised in the garden. 




Mulch wi th coarse manure. All of the weeds should 
be thrown around them and other bushes and trees; 
let nothing of a vegetable nature be lost. I often 
get barn-yard manure green in the fall, and take as 
many loads of soil, lay alternate layers of each, add 
all of the vegetables I can accumulate, then fork it 
over several times and mix it thoroughly. 

PLANTS AND PLANTING. 

The Turner stands the winter well with me, bears 
an abundance of fruit uniformly of good size; a very 
sweet family berry. 

Red Philadelphia. — Always prolific; an excellent 
flavor. The canes stand the cold winter; but to 
raise for the market the berries are small and are 
not good for shipping. 

Brand ywine— For a berry for field cultivation and 
shipping it has no equal among the reds. Grows 
well at the South. 

Cuthbert. — This raspberry originated near New 
York City in the garden of a man named Cuthbert, 
and was given by him to a well-known horticult- 
urist for a more complete trial. William Parry 
says: "We are pleased with the Cuthbert. It is a 



strong, vigorous grower; appears perfectly hardy; 
very productive ; large fruit, of a red color, and con- 
tinues late in bearing." 

Hansell. — A new berry; originated in Burlington 
County, N. J. It was ripe in 1880, June 4; in 1881, 
June 12. Description: Fruit, medium to large; 
nearly as large as the Cuthbert; color of the 
brightest crimson; canes vigorous, productive, and 
entirely hardy. Planting should be done in the 
fail. October and November are the best months 
to plant raspberries; they will bear much more fruit 
the following season. The buds in spring start very 
early, and are in danger of being broken off in 
planting. I transplanted a large number of rasp- 
berries in the middle of August, 1884, with my 
Transplanting Trowel, and not a leaf withered. 
For garden culture the plants can stand three feet 
apart each way; field culture, rows four feet apart 
and three feet in the row. 



PROPAGATION. 

In the month of August you will notice the tips of 
the vines enlarge and have a very tender and fresh 
appearance; this is the very time to propagate. If 
the tip touches the ground it takes root. I bend 
down the cane a little, cover the tip with soil, lay a 
lump of clay upon the cane to hold it down. The 
cane often grows a foot in length. I put soil on 
different spots, and I often get half a dozen vines 
from one tip. In the month of August I cut out all 
of the weaker canes or suckers, and let three or at 
most four of the new canes remain; those that 
remain grow more stocky. After the fruit is 
picked I immediately cut out the old canes. The 
green leaves and old canes absorb, and take some of 



the 9ap from the new canes. Cut the old canes 
close to the ground. In the month of August those 
plants from which I wish to get an abundance of 
fruit I cut back to about four feet high; they will 
throw out lateral branches and produce more fruit. 
Those from which I propagate I cut back the same 
length after the tips take root. Let the stem on 
the tip be about eight inches long. Don't try to 
raise fruit by cutting the tip long the first year of 
the infant plant. I save all of my old canes to 
cover my strawberry beds for the winter; spread 
them upon the bed, then scatter leaves over them, 
and the strawberries will come out in the spring as 
green as Erin's Isle. 

CULTURE OF THE FRUIT. 

Keep out grass and weeds; be sure and mulch the 
plants, especially from May to July, lest your ber- 
ries be small or dry up. It is a good plan to cover 
the spaces between the rows with a heavy mulch of 
leaves or any coarse vegetable matter. In early 
spring spade deepty between the rows, taking care 
and not go near the roots of the plants; then the 
mulch will keep the ground moist; it also keeps 
weeds from growing. In October dig in this mulch, 
and your soil is improved every year. I prefer the 
month of August for pruning the raspberry; the cane 
has ample time to throw out lateral branches and 
grow more stocky. I notice one cane treated in this 
way often produces as much fruit as two pruned 
late in fall; the fruit is much greater in size. I can 
take up the tips at any time after they have taken 
root with the Abbott Transplanting Trowel. It will 
be better to leave the young plants where they are 
until spring if you have no trowel; they will grow if 



they are not disturbed. If they are transplanted 
late in the fall without the soil taken with them the 
frost may throw them out. The red varieties throw 
up many suckers; take these off from June to August; 
take up with care and leave all the soil upon them that 
you can, if re-planted in your own garden. If you 
wish to ship plants through the mail, these come in a 
year ahead of the tips. I have a yellow raspberry 
that is as sweet as honey; canes very large; produces 
well; stands the coldest winter well. I suppose it to 
be the Yellow Antwerp. 




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STBA-W^BEKRIES. 





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CHICAGO, ILL. 



How to Cultivate Strawberries. 

SOIL AND SITUATION. 

There are so many varieties of every kind of small 
fruit that it is nearly impossible to lay down the 
same rule for all of them, but we will endeavor to 
strike a general average. The soil adapted to many 
kinds of strawberries is a deep, moist, sandy loam, 
with a plenty of sunlight and pure air. The straw- 
berry thrives on moist land; not wet, undrained 
stagnant soil, but on underdrained, or, like my own 
bed, near a ditch four feet deep, upon what is now 
my sales ground. I have a space 2 5x125 feet, the 
size of a common house lot. Along one side and 
across one end I had Houghton Seedling gooseber- 
ries, the other side Davidson Thornless raspberries; 
across the other end a row of black Naples currants; 
inside of these a row of Philadelphia raspberries, 
one gooseberry and three Lawton blackberry bushes, 
one apple tree four years old. With the exception of 
the apple, these were all fruit-bearing bushes. Near 
the middle of the lot I had 150 young Davidson 
Thornless raspberry bushes. The remainder of the 
lot was covered with Wilson Seedling strawberries. 
I picked 290 quarts, a fraction over nine bushels. 
We sold 72 quarts for 10 cents per quart, equals 
$7.20, and 218 quarts at 7 cents, equals $15.26. 
We have here $22.40 for strawberries, not to men- 
tion gooseberries, raspberries and currants. Let 
those persons who have a vacant lot take notice of 
this fact. Our soil with deep spading is nearly all 
clay. 



PREPARATION OF THE SOIL. 

For garden culture, get some old, well rotted cow 
manure if 3'mi can ; cover your plat three inches deep 
with this manure; spade it in to the depth of fifteen 
or eighteen inches, as the strawberry roots run to a 
greater depth than many persons suppose. It is 
very amusing to see people pay a great price for the 
Monarch of the West, or Big Bob, and then plant 
them in soil stirred to the depth of six inches, and 
expect to raise large strawberries. You will gain 
much by forking over the soil a second time, and 
thoroughly mixing soil and manure. It is much more 
profitable to prepare the soil right at the first opera- 
tion, and not suffer with drouth from shallow culti- 
vation. Avoid shade. If your plants run among the 
currant bushes, you get very large plants, providing 
the soil is rich, and very few large sized berries. Do 
not work the soil when it is wet. For a bed that 
has been long planted, I use hen manure and wood 
ashes. I often put them both together into a half 
barrel, fill up with water, and apply with the sprink- 
ling pot with the sprinkler off. I have done thi? 
three times in spring, the last time just before they 
blossom. In using these fertilizers, I avoid filling 
the ground with weeds. 

WHERE TO GET PLANTS. 

I make it a rule to get the plants as near home as 
possible, and in the same climate. If they cannot 
be procured near home, do the best you can abroad. 

WHAT KINDS TO PLANT. 

Wilson Seedling, Charles Downing, Prouty, Cres- 
cent Seedling — mixed with some other variety ; 
Sharpless, Big Bob; and there are many others. 



Every garden should have two varieties of straw- 
"berries, early and late. In this way the season can 
be prolonged; every person knows that people are 
sorry to part with this delicious fruit when the 
plants cease to bear July 4th. The Crescent Seed- 
ling is one of the most productive of the whole list; 
it is a pistillate, and should always be planted uear 
some other sort that contains both stamens and pis- 
tils. The pistillate are strong growers, and heavy 
producers if fertilized by flowers of another variety; 
the two varieties should be within ten feet of each 
other. I have the Crescent Seedling, Charles Down- 
ing and the Wilson Albany all mixed up, a foot 
apart, and they give an abundant crop. The Wilson 
is the standard berry for shipping. 

Monarch of the West. — Fruit enormous, holds its 
size well to the last; has a fine flavor, very good 
for home use, a trifle soft for shipping. 

Charles Downing. — One ,of the best varieties; 
fruit large and abundant; it is extremely vigorous, 
hardy and productive; does well in any soil; good 
for home use. 

Big Bob.— It is claimed to be one of the best; it 
has not been introduced very commonly as yet. The 
originator says: I will grow Big Bob and get fruit 
in great abundance; richer color, larger average and 
vastly superior in quality to the Sharpless, which I 
believe to be accepted as the standard among big 
berries. It ripens about the same time as the Wil- 
son. Our Wilsons give us usually the first box 
June 3, and last box July 3. 

HOW TO PLANT. 

Take the Abbott Transplanting Trowel; plant any 
time when you can put a spade into the soil. I have 



piarited With the best kind of sticcess in December, 
just before the ground froze up. I do it every 
month— spring, summer, fall or winter. I have 
done it in January with the trowel. I make the 
rows for garden culture about two feet apart, and 
one foot apart in the row. If you wish to raise j 
fruit, cut the runners, keep out the weeds, give a 
top dressing of hen manure and wood ashes, onc 
shovelful of ashes and manure and five or six of 
black soil*, dc this in July and August. I water in 
early spring — sometimes take any manure soluble in 
water, put in a tub or half barrel; stir up; take two 
thicknesses of coarse matting and strain it; this 
prevents getting grass or hayseed into your patch. 
I plant in early spring, then after the fruit is gone. 
I have planted in December, and the frost did not 
heave them out; I had a beautiful crop the follow 
ing summer. 




Big Bob.' 



- 



m BiAcsssm. 



~j*^r*» 



ITS CULTIVATION, SOIL AND 
SITUATION. 



Light, warm land is preferable to very damp 
and heavy soil. If these are used the wood 
does not ripen fully and will winter-kill ; for the 
same reason the land should not be too rich. 
Deep plowing is of great advantage, less liable 
to suffer from drought. It often succeeds well 
on high gravelly knolls, but if on such lands, 
it should be mulched. I have seen wild Black- 
berries growing in northern Illinois in an open- 
ing on the edge of the forest, in a very vegetable 
soil, composed largely of decayed leaves, the 
fruit hung in beautiful clusters. 

For field culture set the plants in rows six 
feet apart, and three feet distant in the rows ; 
for garden culture place the rows four feet apart 
and three feet space in the rows. I prefer fall 
planting for Blackberries, and, in fact, almost 
every bush and vine in the garden. When the 
tender shoots intended for fruit next year attain 
the height of four feet, clip them off the same as 
the Raspberries ; they will then throw out 
lateral branches, which will bear the largest 
berries. The old canes that bear fruit this year, 
can be cut out as soon as the fruit is gathered. 
For winter protection see article entitled ''A 
winter over-coat for plants, shrubs and vines." 



ERIE BUCKBEEE? 

m 

Is a chance seedling that sprang up in northern 
Ohio, near Lake Erie, and was named at the 
suggestion of Hon. M. P. Wilder, President 
of the American Pomological Society. " The 
JEfie seems to fill in every particular, the de- 
mand for an entirely hardy Blackberry, pro- 
ducing large fruit ; and in the ten years this 
variety has been tested it has not developed a 
single weakness. The canes are not only of 
ironclad hardiness, never having failed to pro- 
duce a crop of fruit, but of the strongest growth, 
free from "rust" and all other diseases, and won- 
derfully productive. The robust canes are borne 
to the ground with the weight of fruit. The 
fruit is not only of the largest size, excelling 
the Wilson, Kittatinny or Lawton, excellent 
quality, handsome and fine, but ripens exceed- 
ingly early, just after Early Harvest. The 
berries are almost round in form, very uniform 
in shape and size, scarcely any small or imper- 
fect berries; hence, no other sort approaches the 
Erie, in appearance, when exposed in the 
crate, picked as it grows." 

Matthew Crawford, of Ohio, one of the best 
authorities, says of the Erie : " My own opin- 
ion is, that when fully ripe it is as good as I 
ever tasted. It has not failed of a crop in seven 
years, while the Lawton and Kittatinny, grow- 
ing near the Erie, have been winter-killed 
several times. I think there is a fortune in it 
for any man who can afford to grow it exten- 



SH7DSR BLACKBERRY 



A native of northern Indiana. A medium- 
sized berry, enormously productive; will not 
winter-kill; has no sour core; has less thorns 
than the Lawton; is the most reliable of the 
common high Blackberries. 

BVERGRES^BUCKBSRRT, 

The above named Blackberry was brought 
to Oregon from the South Sea Islands a few 
years ago, and is found to be the most hardy 
of all the Blackberry family. It stands the 
winters well in Oregon, sometimes the mercury 
goes below zero several degrees. The third or 
fourth year it will bear a bushel of berries to 
the single plant. The berry is about the size 
of the Lawton. The third year after the vines 
have ripened their fruit, they should be cut 
back. The vines should be spread out like a 
fan and tied to stakes. These canes should be 
cut back every year and should not be over ten 
feet high, for the convenience of picking. 



BLACKBERRIES. 



co> 



w 0O0 ^ 

The Lucretia Dewberry is the largest in 
size of any of the Blackberry family. In size 
and earliness it-equals any of the high Blackber- 
ries. This is one of the low-growing, trailing 
Blackberries. It is very hardy, healthy and 
very productive; it has large, beautiful flowers. 
The fruit is often one and one-half inches long, 
and one inch in diameter. Its fruit is sweet 
and delicious, with no hard core. Matthew 
Crawford of Ohio says: "I have fruited the 
Lucretia Dewberry two years, and am satisfied 
that it is all that is claimed for it." It will run 
over a stone-heap, or on a trellis; if trailing near 
the ground , coarse mulch should be used to pre- 
vent the fruit from being soiled. 






LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



000 929 961 



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LUCRETIA DEWBERRY 



